Why Did Cyrus Revolutionize The Wheat Industry

I, Robert McCormick, was an inventor. However, I am unknown to history, for I did not revolutionize the wheat industry as my son, Cyrus McCormick, did in the mid-nineteenth century. Cyrus became known as one of the most efficacious entrepreneurs in history, and therefore will never be forgotten. However, this success did not come over-night. My son grew up like most farm boys of the time; he worked in the fields, attended a little school, and went to Church. Little did anyone know that this regular boy, with his improvement of the reaper industry and his superior distribution skills, would rebuild Chicago, change the world of agribusiness, and make me ever-so proud to be his father (Sobel 101-3).

I suppose my son is most known for his invention

His achievements were partially due to the economic conditions of the time. In this era, many single farmers relied heavily on family members for labor during the wheat harvesting season. Wheat had to be gathered quickly at this time before it broke down and started to decay. Often, even with people working around the clock, much of the harvest would go to waste. Therefore, it was essential for wheat-related farm machinery, such as the reaper (Sobel 104). Another economic factor to consider was the labor shortage of the time. Native born farmers were fleeing to the city to seek urban jobs, and even with the influx of immigrants, labor became scarce, wages increased, and the need for machinery became more dire (109). Ultimately, without enough people to work the fields, machinery had to be utilized to produce enough of the crop.

Also important to note, is that Cyrus was an excellent planner. He had a system for production, sales, and distribution. After realizing he wouldn’t be able to create machines on demand, he decided to implement a strategy for more efficient production. He went into full production after the fall harvests, and turned his focus on sales in the spring. This method turned out to be successful, for McCormick sold twenty-nine reapers in1843, whereas Obed Hussey, his rival, sold only two machines (Sobel 112). Furthermore, his advertising, and customer testimonials emphasized how his machine was worth

He had many options of cities to establish his factory. Cincinatti, St. Louis, New Orleans, and Cleveland were all considerable options. In the end, my son chose Chicago, and this decision greatly benefited him. Chicago shipped more wheat than any other mid-western city in 1848, and had a fine harbor (Sobel 114). His Chicago factory succeeded in producing 4,000 machines in 1856 (Bryant and Dethloff 83). Still, while his Chicago factory was booming, my son found some more difficulties over-seas. Licensing troubles, and problems adapting his machines to European fields both contributed to his problems with international manufacturing. Despite these complications though, McCormick did succeed as one of America’s first manufacturers to produce goods that were at least respectable in Europe (Sobel 119).

Finally, it is crucial that I mention that the social conditions of the time helped my boy. I simply must consider all the factors that contributed to his fame and fortune, besides just his ingenuity. Socially, farmers at this time were more accepting of new methods of gathering crops. This invention occurred near the time period of the cotton gin, thus farmers were becoming aware of the power of machines in agriculture (Sobel 107). Had it not been for men like Eli Whitney, and other significant figures of the time, my son’s story may have turned out